Homelessness is a way of life. For many of our families they have always lived this way - having housing for a time, being on the street, living in their car, sharing a house with a family or friend. A constant shifting and adjusting as a normal part of life. They seek financial help from non-profits, county, city, and churches when their minimum wage jobs do not match their bills. When they do have money, they do not know how to save some of it, instead splurging on the items they normally cannot buy.
The idea of staying in one home forever is a dream. The idea of paying for it on their own can be a nightmare. The number of families who are not able to maintain employment to sustain their housing is greater than ever and the resources to assist them are few. It is a sad reality that we have families who we really cannot help – past life choices are barriers to their current and future housing success.
As a society, we are hearing so much about the homeless and how much they need to be safely sheltered. We hear how physical and mental health issues have depleted savings and hinders employment. We hear how salaries are not keeping up with the cost of living.
As we work diligently to find housing for these families, I worry about the children. The next generation, who I fear will be seeking our assistance when they turn 18 years old. How do we prevent that from happening? How do we encourage them to achieve their high school diploma? How do we show that employment is a good thing?
Education is one key to being housing stable. Education can lead to employment. Education can teach how to budget for today’s bills, while saving for tomorrow's, while still enjoying a quality of life. We need to start when the children are young – second grade. When they can do basic adding and subtracting. When they start to see and want the goodies in the store. When they can grasp the concept of value for items.
I do not have the answer to how and I know there are teachers reading this who cringe as it adds another item for them to teach. I think education must be a part of the discussion when developing strategies to end homelessness.